My dearest Advent Family,
When my children were toddlers and preschoolers and I volunteered heavily in the children’s department of our church and I needed a quick game to help get the wiggles out, “Simon Says” was my go too. Of course we would try singing “Head, Shoulders,
Knees and Toes” first to help us get acclimated and know which body part we needed to focus on!
And if you need a little refresher: the leader is considered “Simon” and whatever “Simon” says, the group has to do it. The leader has to say: “Simon says touch your knees.” But if the leader simple says, “Touch your knees” and someone in the group touches their knees, then that person is out and the leader reminds that person, “Simon didn’t say to touch your knees.” Essentially when there is only one person left standing amongst the group, that person is declared the winner and if another round continues, then the winner becomes the new “Simon”.
I loved playing this game with littles because it was a good starter or “icebreaker” to get them ready to truly listen and focus right before I read the Bible story of the day. Today’s passage I read this morning reminded me of this simple game from John 14:23
(NLT), “Jesus replied, ‘All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them.’”
I don’t know if anyone else reading this can relate but sometimes when I read Bible verses, I tend to over think and complicate what I just read! Then it leads to frustration and ultimately I just shut down and move on and forget everything I just read…
Just like in “Simon Says”, Jesus is giving us clear direction and guidance of what to do with our new found faith in him: love him and do what “Jesus Says”! This particular section, Jesus continues to guide and teach his disciples and, particularly, giving them a heads up about after he “leaves” them, God, the Father, will send a “helper” to the disciples, which is the Holy Spirit, to continue the good works within the disciples and spread “the good news”, the Gospel, to “the ends of the earth.” One of the toughest seasons in my faith journey is when the Lord asks me to “wait” and “listen”. Just like the person who sits out in the game because I did what I thought Jesus told me to do because I simply wanted to do what I wanted without truly waiting and listening, it complicated my faith walk.
But when I did truly wait and listen and put my whole faith in what Jesus wanted me to do, abundant joy was the result. Was it easy!? Not at all. It wasn’t easy because I had to lean in to loving Jesus with great obedience through the discipline of constant prayer,
reading His word, and surrounding myself with the fellowship of other believers in Jesus.
Are you in a season of waiting and listening? Is there an area of your life where you need to surrender to the simple instruction from Jesus to love him and start doing what he says?
Through the guiding and leading of the Holy Spirit, our helper, Jesus becomes our source of unconditional love and because of that truth, I am able to do “immeasurable things” through him and you do too!
In His Hands,
Angel Kruse